Canada still undecided on reinstatement of aid programs to Mali

In this Sunday, July 21, 2013 file photo, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, then a presidential candidate, shakes hands with supporters as he arrives at the airport in Sevare, Mali during a campaign trip. Since Keita’s swearing-in as president in September, many donor countries have resumed aid to Mali but Canada has yet to follow suit.(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

While many countries and international bodies have reinstated government aid to Mali, Canada has still not decided whether it will do the same in the West African country where it was once a key donor.

Canada, along with many other donor countries, suspended its aid programs involving direct payments to the government of Mali following a coup d’état in March 2012, when Islamist militant Tuareg rebels seized the northern part of the country and ousted the sitting president and prime minister. While other countries, including the U.S and France, have reinstated development aid to Mali since presidential elections last summer, Canada has not.

More than year and a half after its suspension of assistance programs, the Conservative government has yet to indicate whether it will resume said programs with Mali. Canada was the fourth largest bilateral donor in Mali in 2010 to 2011, with annual aid expenditures averaging approximately $112 million since 2008, according to the government of Canada’s website.

While Canada continues to fund non-governmental organizations and multilateral organizations working in Mali, the fate of those once-critical government aid programs still hangs in the balance.

“Whether or not to deliver direct assistance to the government of Mali is currently being evaluated. A decision will be communicated in due course,” said Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development spokesperson Charleen Bortot in an email.

An official from Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird’s office told iPolitics in August that once a president-elect was confirmed in Mali, Canada would review all aspects of its relationship with the country. In a second run-off election Aug. 11, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta was named Mali’s new president. Keïta was sworn in Sept. 4.

So, what’s the hold up on the Canadian government’s end? That’s what opposition MPs are anxious to know. Liberal MP Mauril Bélanger, who traveled to Mali for a Canadian government-funded election monitoring mission in July, put that question to the government in House of Commons last week.

“After this summer’s presidential election and once President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta was sworn in on September 5, the majority of countries reinstated their assistance programs. Canada did not. Why?” asked Bélanger.

Speaking with iPolitics Wednesday, Bélanger said he brought up the question because of Canada’s “very substantial” – yet suspended – aid program with Mali. He also noted that Mali is “one of the few remaining countries” on Canada’s countries of focus list. Bélanger said he is still not sure what is holding up the government’s decision on whether to reinstate aid programs in Mali, but he has a theory.

“I’m starting to wonder if it’s because they (the government) want to effect more savings in order to accelerate the balanced books or a balanced budget. If so, say so. But if it’s not so, then reinstate it,” said Bélanger.

For NDP Foreign Affairs critic Paul Dewar, Mali is a key bilateral partner for Canada in Africa, given it’s proximity to powerful regional partners such as Libya and it’s ability to overcome a coup in only a year and a half. Prior to the coup, Mali was considered a model democracy in West Africa. Dewar said Canada has a role in ensuring Mali gets back on its feet.

“The Sahel region, Mali obviously in particular, is needing assistance as soon as possible. We want to prevent further conflict and the encroachment of extremism. We have to support Mali and so the government needs to get off the sidelines and commit here.”

Amadou Ba, Second Conseiller Chargé at the Malian embassy in Ottawa, told iPolitics Wednesday Mali is currently working with Canada to reinstate aid programs, but a decision has not been reached yet.

International bodies, such as the European Commission, African Development Bank, World Bank and World Food Programme have also reengaged with Mali following a temporary suspension of programming and financing after the coup. In February, the United Nations encouraged donor countries to reach out to Mali. UN Director of Operations for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs John Ging said Mali was stable enough to start accepting aid again.

“The people of Mali have suffered appallingly. Now is the time for us to help,” Ging told reporters in New York.

According to a UN press release, Ging stressed that security and humanitarian access in Mali had improved, which should ease doubts about aid effectiveness.

As donors reinvest in Mali, the country’s economy is expected to expand 6.3 per cent in the next year, according to a Bloomberg report Tuesday. The nation expects to access $4 billion in aid from international donors including France, Denmark, the World Bank and the African Development Bank, said the report. But, as of Wednesday, Canadian government aid programs were not on that list.

It is also unclear where Canadian business investments stand in Mali. In the past, Canadian mining companies have made significant investments in Africa’s third-largest gold producer. But, according to the Canadian government’s website, Canadian commercial activity has slowed since the coup in 2012.